Dual-energy micro-CT for quantifying the time-course and staining characteristics of ex-vivo animal organs treated with iodine- and gadolinium-based contrast agents.

ABSTRACT: Chemical staining of soft-tissues can be used as a strategy to increase their low inherent contrast in X-ray absorption micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), allowing to obtain fast three-dimensional structural information of animal organs. Though some staining agents are commonly used in this context, little is known about the staining agents' ability to stain specific types of tissues; the times necessary to provide a sufficient contrast; and the effect of staining solution in distorting the tissue. Here we contribute to studies of animal organs (mouse heart and lungs) using staining combined with dual-energy micro-CT (DECT). DECT was used in order to obtain an additional quantitative measure for the amount of staining agents within the sample in 3D maps. Our results show that the two st

SUBMITTER: Martins de Souza E Silva J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5727238 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature